Sun Homes editor gets a clutter-free grip on her kitchen

Photograph by: Handout photo
, Postmedia News

It was the shelf of food-storage containers that sent me over the edge.

I had made a lunch to take to work, and was looking for something to put it in. I found the perfect container, but no perfect matching lid. I found a lid for my chicken noodle soup, but no matching soup container.

There were, as near as I could guess, approximately three dozen storage containers and lids in my cupboard - no two matched.

I do not know how this happens, and I am not one to point fingers. But let me just say that kitchen organization is not one of my housemates' priorities. My housemates are male - not that that's relevant whatsoever - and getting a clutter-free grip on the storage system is not high on their to-do list. They like to focus on other things, many of which involve a television and a remote control.

But back to going over the edge. "This," I said to myself, "is what you'd call a gong show."

I was not speaking only of the mismatched lids and containers.

My kitchen had become the 'before' picture for a feature on culinary mayhem, and I could hardly imagine the 'after' shot.

The pantry had become a mishmash, and ditto the fridge and cupboards. Likes did not apparently attract likes. Despite my frequent efforts to find singular spots in which to store the casserole bowls, the boxed pasta and the cereal, the contents of my kitchen had managed to shift a tad.

Again, I am not one to assign blame, but there have been occasions when I have caught one of my housemates in the act of returning the Rice Krispies, not to the cereal shelf, but to the home of the canned vegetables.

The family needed help. More specifically, we needed a Plan.

Tossing the cereal was not an option. And labelling the cupboard doors with large, colourful signage, while potentially promising, would have been too unsightly.

I began by doing what the organizational experts would recommend - removing the contents of the cupboards.

The bowls with chips and cracks were assigned to the garbage. The lidless plastic containers went to recycling. The duplicate tins of tomatoes and tuna went to the food bank.

Then everything else went back. But this time, there was a Plan - and a conversation with the housemates.

I took them through the cupboards, and pointed out where the mixing bowls lived, and where the wax paper spent its time. When the plastic wrap is removed, I told them, it must be returned, not to the home of the canned beets, but to the home of the plastic wrap.

That was two weeks ago. So far, the Plan is working, but we're not completely there. I tend to be able to find the soup, but I've thrown out all the containers.

WHEN IN DOUBT, LABEL IT

Doyen of décor Martha Stewart wants to help us get our homes in order. To that end, she's teamed up with Staples and Avery, the label and paper products company, to create some organizational products.

The line launched earlier this month, with Staples introducing the products online (www.Staples.ca) and at the firm's more than 330 Canadian locations.

The Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery line includes nearly 200 items with retail prices ranging from $1.99 to $16.99. Among them:

Planning Binders: These come with accessories such as project planning filler paper, dividers, sheet protectors, and zipper pouches can be used to plan home projects or to keep track of family schedules.

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